We are also impressed by the fact that Kim had his second summit with Xi in Dalian, where the first China-built aircraft carrier will embark on a test voyage later this month.

Trump, who announced that the plans for the upcoming summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had been finalized, said to "stay tuned" for any developments on the release of the United States citizens.

However, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV quoted Xi as saying China "supports North Korea to stick to denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and supports North Korea and the U.S.in solving the peninsula issue through dialogue and consultation".

Though the US and President Trump have had an undeniable influence on North Korea's sudden openness to worldwide diplomacy, the rhetoric over summit negotiations have been fluid at best.

While Kim would be giving up the last of his remaining American prisoners, whom North Korea has often used in the past as bargaining chips with the United States, a release could also be aimed at pressuring Trump to make concessions of his own in his bid to get Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear arsenal, something it has not signalled a willingness to do.

He was also quoted as saying: "I hope to build mutual trust with the USA through dialogue". This also came after the mercurial leader vowed to denuclearise the Korean peninsula and end the decades-long war with South Korea.

In an unprecedented meeting at the demilitarized zone separating the two countries, Kim became the first North Korean leader to step into South Korean territory since 1953.

The report, which lasted about 20 minutes, did not show any photos or video of the visit. What we had none of was the enthusiasm expressed by the vast majority of the South Korean public-who, incidentally, have quite a bit more to lose if this is indeed all a sinister ploy.

North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said there was a "deep exchange of opinions" between Kim and Xi on the changes around the Korean Peninsula that are "drawing the world's eyes and ears".

Intense secrecy typically surrounds high-level North Korean visits to China, and this week's trip was no different.

Xi and Kim both pointed out that since their initial summit there had been "positive progress" not only in China-North Korea relations, but in the general situation on the Korean Peninsula.

Although there were no guarantees that the American prisoners would be freed during Pompeo's visit, USA officials said their release would be a significant goodwill gesture ahead of the Trump-Kim summit that is expected later this month or in early June.

It said in the short-term, China is an "indispensable stability guarantor for a possible unsuccessful US-North Korea summit".

It is not clear when the meeting was planned or put together or why Dalian was chosen.

Trump said on Twitter that he will be speaking to Xi about later on Tuesday, adding that North Korea would be one of the topics they would talk about.

The North Korean official flew in a private plane and arrived at Dalian airport on Monday amid heavy security, Yonhap said. "This meeting is one that carries the will of President Trump and State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong Un", she said, using Kim's formal title.

Like the March summit in Beijing, the Dalian summit was kept secret until Kim's plane left for Pyongyang on Tuesday afternoon.

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